Summer, 1935. In the second installment of Nicola Upson's mystery series featuring classic detective fiction writer Josephine Tey, Inspector Archie Penrose has invited Josephine to his family home in Cornwall, a struggling but beautiful country estate on a magnificent stretch of coastline. Disillusioned with the London stage, she is ready to begin work on her second mystery novel and finds much to inspire her in the landscape and its legends—in particular, a lake on the estate, which is said to claim a life every seven years, and the nearby Minack Theatre, an open-air auditorium that overlooks the sea. But death clouds the holiday from the outset: Josephine's arrival coincides with the funeral of a young estate worker, killed in a mysterious riding accident, and another local boy disappears shortly afterwards. When the Minack proves to be a stage for real-life tragedy and an audacious murder, Archie's loyalties are divided between his friends and his job, and he and Josephine must confront the violent reality that lies beneath a seemingly idyllic community—a community with one face turned towards the present, and another looking back to the crimes of the past.

"The portrayal of Tey is both sympathetic and perceptive... Upson is chillingly effective at showing how good intentions may lead to evil consequences... A fine addition to a promising series."—Spectator

"Josephine Tey shines again in Nicola Upson's Angel with Two Faces, the second in her series showcasing the detective fiction author.... As befits a tribute to the Golden Age of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers et al, there are plot twists, plot turns and red herrings aplenty.'—Time Out